We're going to go out on a limb and say that most "Star Wars" fans did not enjoy the prequels. From pod racing to laughable dialogue and an intense focus on intergalactic politics, the prequel films included many elements that rubbed fans the wrong way. But perhaps the most glaring weakness of the prequel films is Hayden Christensen's performance as Anakin Skywalker in "Attack of the Clones" and "Revenge of the Sith."
Christensen had been in the Hollywood game for more than a decade before his role as the future Darth Vader, yet fans still did not respond well to his take on the character. Granted, it would be difficult for any actor to pull off those lines, but still. Following the "Star Wars" films, Christensen has popped up only sparingly in feature films because he believes he hadn't earned the newfound fame.
"I felt like I had this great thing in Star Wars that provided all these opportunities and gave me a career, but it all kind of felt a little too handed to me," he told Yahoo! "I didn't want to go through life feeling like I was just riding a wave."
"Revenge of the Sith" hit theaters in 2005. Since then, Christensen has been involved with a small handful of projects, most notably "Jumper," but has largely stayed out of the spot light. In 2007, the actor bough a farm in Ontario, Canada, where he renovated the property and became involved in the day-to-day operations. He even released a clothing line in conjunction with this project.
In 2014, Christensen made a bit of a return with Nicolas Cage in "Outcast" and Adrien Brody in "American Heist." He also appeared in "90 Minutes in Heaven."
Christensen appears to be enjoying his newfound anonymity as the roles he does get he feels he has earned.
"You can't take years off and not have it affect your career," he said. "But I don't know - in a weird, sort of destructive way, there was something appealing about that to me. There was something in the back of my head that was like, 'If this time away is gonna be damaging to my career, then so be it. If I can come back afterward and claw my way back in, then maybe I'll feel like I earned it.'"
It's possible that Christensen could return to the "Star Wars" franchise, as rumors have suggested there was a role for him as a Force ghost that was cut out of "The Force Awakens." Perhaps "Episode VIII" will be his time to shine again.
